Holy Mountain Brewing Company Update/Status

Hey guys,

I wanted to post a quick little status report on our project, who we are, at what we're about. I finally have a little bit of down time from the craziness of the past few weeks. We will be updating our website really soon with info about the Tap Room, directions, and all that fun stuff.

Our brewery is made up of three owners. Colin (me, Head Brewer, welder, and Master Squegee Technician) Adam (President, Brewer, Master Carpenter) and Mike (Head of Sales, FRP installer, Master Concrete Table Maker and Painter). We all wear some crazy hats. Over the last year, we somehow turned a completely empty Warehouse next to Pier 91 into a brewery, tasting room, and barrel facility.

Adam and I met about 5 years ago when we were homebrewers, after an introduction from a friend who knew we were both making a lot of Brett and sour beer. We both had recently moved out of our respective houses and moved in with our girlfriends after getting engaged. Not wanting to loose the momentum of what we were learning, and also not having a place to keep the massive amount of equipment we had, started looking for a space to rent out. We found a large spot off of East Marginal Way in a building full of artists, metal workers, a bondage hemp rope maker, and a motorcycle gang.

After brewing together at what became known as "The Lab" for a couple of months, it became apparent that we both shared the same vision for opening up a brewery in Seattle. The basis and foundation of Holy Mountain was started right then. The Lab then became a proving and test ground for all things brewing. Yeast strains and analysis, malt selection, and hop experimentation. Sour beers, Brett beers, hoppy beers and lagers we're brewed again and again. I knew from volunteering at other breweries and having a group of friends that were professional brewers, that we couldn't do this without some real world experience. I quit my current job, got a job at a local brewery, and became a sponge learning all I could and making contacts. Meanwhile, Adam started working on the business plan and getting the ball rolling setting the business up. During my time at Schooner Exact, I met Mike who was in charge of sales. After getting to know him and his passion for great beer, we knew he was the missing piece of the puzzle, and the three of us joined forces.

The next three years became a roller coaster of talking to investors, setting everything in place legally, and finding funding. After walking away from a large offering, we downsized our original plan, and everything came together. We signed a least on our current space on January 1st, 2014. Since then, it's been a million miles a second.

Our main focus: Brew the beers we want to drink. No shtick, just good beer. For example, I'm a total lager nerd. I love to brew them because they are somewhat challenging, and I think a testament to a brewers process and skills. I can also drink 5 or 6, and feel great the next morning. We all like sessionable and clean beer and appreciate a well made product. We decided not to play the IPA game around town. There are plenty of other great breweries who make an awesome product that are available everywhere. Instead we will brew our hoppy beers for consumption at our Tap Room where they are available fresh from the source. You can expect to see a wide selection of styles from across the board, as you'll see from our opening tap list (it's awesome!)

The heart and soul of our operation though, is in our barrels. From day one of starting production, our very first batch, we've been filling barrels. Base for blending sour beer, building Brett and lacto cultures, and everything else under the sun that has to do with funky, wild and sour beer. We are building and growing the cultures we have been using and holding onto for years, and they are really starting to shine. We'll be making lots of trips over the mountains this spring and summer to pick up the bounties of all the amazing fruit available, and have a couple of really cool projects in the works. We have a dedicated 20hl Foudre for primary fermentation of Farmhouse beers and Saison, and are looking to pick some more up in the very near future for some other products. We're anxiously awaiting our bottling line to be able to start blending these beers and doing them justice to condition in the bottle. You can expect to see these beers start making an appearance in spring most likely. Very excited about our clean barrel aged beers as well. Midnight Still, our Imperial Stout, is really starting to come together and is tasting great. Lots of cool projects planned for these as well.

We're extremely excited to open and are very close. We hit a snag on a permit that has been holding us up, but we're almost there. We look forward to making Holy Mountain a great place to meet up with friends, make some new ones, and share in the passion of great beer. It's been a long road for us, but a fun one. I look forward to showing some of you around the brewery in the future and talking shop. Feel free to hit me up if ever any questions. Happy Holidays, everyone. 8:15 AM isn't too early for a beer, is it?

Colin

 

I can't predict an exact date, but like I said in the post, we're looking at spring time for some initial releases. Nothing will be released before it's time. Stay tuned for Third Nail. It's up to Pinebox to release any details.

 

Gabe stopped by to say hi and sticker our parking signs while he was in town to check out his new Brewhouse.

 

His fabricator is in the Pac. NW. His Brewhouse is super pimp.

Thanks, Equinox was a cool hop. Planning on brewing a lot of FH beers next season.

 

Thanks a bunch! I know we can't make everyone happy, and we don't aim to. Like I said, we brew the stuff we want to drink. The stuff that takes a little longer will be ready when it's ready. We believe in brewing and releasing products with purpose and intent. If it's not good enough and doesn't meet our standards, it goes down the drain.

 

I wish I could give you an exact date, but I would look like an ass because I know it wouldn't be right. We're very close, and I think it's safe to say within the first couple weeks of January. It will be a pretty soft open too, so keep checking with us. We're keeping it loose!